Feature

Weigh-in-motion for controlling excess loads

Illustrations © IFSTTAR

Europe's commercial freight fleet has now reached 6.5 million vehicles, including 500,000 in France. These vehicles are responsible for transporting over 1,500 billion ton-kilometers annually (with France's share evaluated at 300 billion), thus accounting for 75% of all freight traffic. On average, a single truck covers 100,000 km/year, though this figure masks a wide disparity depending on vehicle type and use. In France, between 8% and 12% of trucks carry loads in excess of authorized limits. This extra load may pertain to just a single axle, a set of axles or the entire weight and, in many cases, to combinations of these three at the same time. The majority of excess loads remain within 10% of the limit, but significant weight overages of 20% or more have been recorded.